Author: Johan H.
Ever since the Supreme Court overturned The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, also known as PASPA or the Bradley Act, companies have been scrambling to prepare for re-entry into old but also new emerging markets in the US.
The law, that previously prevented the different states in the US was decided on a federal level, where the federal government had outlawed sports betting in all its essence across the nation. The court’s ruling in the case Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association found that PASPA was in conflict withthe Tenth Amendment, Reserved Powers.
The Tenth Amendment reads: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” With that, the ban on sports betting across all the US states was lifted. It didn’t mean that everyone now could go out and start betting, but instead each State now had to take a stand on the subject, if they were to allow it or not and as such pass a new state law stating as such.
A scramble to get in on the action
In an effort to get in on the action and get their share of the revenue through taxes, several states were quick out of the starting blocks when it came to drafting and approving new laws on the sports betting subject. As it stands right now the following states, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Mississippi, Delaware, West Virginia, Iowa, Rhode Island, New York, Arkansas, Indiana and New Mexico (tribal only) have legalized sports gambling with several more to come in the near future.
These markets alone surpassed the $10 billion mark earlier in 2019, a number which is expected to grow significantly throughout the rest of the year and the years to come. With such numbers, there is no surprise that other states are working towards legalizing sports betting.
It’s not just on the Stateside that things are moving to get in on the action here. The same goes for both tech companies, providing platforms for players to bet from, to operators and affiliates. The same goes for media companies, who all want to be able to provide the latest news through their desktop and mobile platforms, and here we are talking about companies that have yet to establish themselves in the US market.
One of the biggest news in regards to this came in early October when the two giants, Flutter and Pokerstars announced their merge. This new company will have yearly combined revenue of just under $3.8 billion and with as such be a powerhouse across all verticals in the gambling market with over 4 million customers across 100 different countries.
Individuals living in any of these states which have legalized gambling, now have the ability to play on almost anything, from traditional betting on NFL, NHL, and NBA to horse racing, like in BetAmerica. Besides what we would consider these traditional bets, on offer these days are also the possibility to play on fantasy sports and esports, two genres that are slowly becoming more and more attractive to not only punters but also the participants.
With all these new options and markets, the heat is really on the tech companies and service providers, to deliver products that are not just user-friendly but also able to stand out in this highly competitive business.
If we look at the job boards today, the need for programmers and designers is extremely high, to such an extent that companies are fighting over those available on the market, offering a well-paid position and ability for the individual to work remotely. If you or anyone you know has a programming background, maybe it’s worth looking at the different job boards out there. Who knows, the dream job you´ve been waiting for could very well be waiting for you.
